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TS '82
1982 Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
Green Overdrive · JRC4558D · Silicon Diodes🪟 Win🍎 Mac🐧 Linux
The 1982 green overdrive, rebuilt part by part: the two transistor buffers, the JRC4558D clipping stage with its silicon diodes, the tone control and the original buffered bypass. That's where the famous mid hump comes from, the tight low end and the smooth clipping that tames your amp, whether you use it for overdrive or as a boost in front of a dirty amp.
Specifications
- The whole 1982 circuit, part by part, solved in real time, not sampled
- JRC4558D clipping stage with antiparallel silicon diodes in the feedback loop
- The 720 Hz high-pass that gives the mid hump and the tight lows
- DRIVE, TONE and LEVEL, with the taper of the original pots
- The original transistor buffers and the buffered bypass
- Overdrive on its own, or a boost in front of a dirty amp
- Input calibrated to the voltage of a real guitar
- POWER switch for 0% CPU; silence costs nothing
- Free and complete: no key, no time limit
This manual describes how to use TS '82 and what each control does.
Welcome
TS '82 is the green overdrive of 1982, the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, rebuilt part by part. It is not a sample or a profile: the whole circuit is solved in real time, with the same parts doing the same work. It's the TS9 as it was, with no TS808 switch and no mods.
- The buffers: two Toshiba 2SC1815 transistors, at the input and the output, as in the pedal.
- The clipping stage: a JRC4558D op-amp with a pair of silicon diodes in its feedback loop. A 720 Hz high-pass in that loop clips the mids and leaves the lows clean: that is the famous mid hump and the tight low end.
- The tone stage: the active TONE control with the original pot.
- The bypass: the original buffered bypass, with its JFET switching.
That's why it smooths out your amp instead of fighting it: on its own it's a warm, mid-forward overdrive, and in front of a dirty amp it tightens the lows and makes the amp sing.
Free, forever. No license key, no time limit and nothing locked. If TS '82 earns a place on your board, the tip jar keeps the lights on.
System Requirements
| Windows | 10 or later, 64-bit. Nothing else to install. |
| macOS | 10.13 High Sierra or later. Universal binary: runs natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. |
| Linux | x86_64, with glibc 2.35 or later (Ubuntu 22.04 and equivalents onward). |
| Formats | VST3 on all three systems; Audio Unit (AU) on macOS for Logic Pro and GarageBand. It is an effect for your DAW: there is no standalone application. |
| CPU | Moderate: on our test machine, about 15% of one core at 48 kHz at the default 4× oversampling (about 4% at 1×). When the track is silent or POWER is off, practically nothing. |
Installation
Copy the files to the appropriate folder for your operating system:
| Operating System | VST3 Format | AU (Audio Unit) Format |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\ | — |
| macOS | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ |
| Linux | ~/.vst3/ | — |
Note for macOS users:
Because this is an independent project distributed without an Apple commercial developer certificate, macOS Gatekeeper may say the plugin is damaged or from an unidentified developer. It is neither: you will find two simple Terminal commands in the includedINSTALL.txtfile to authorize it in seconds.
Once copied, run a plugin rescan in your DAW. You will find it listed as TS '82 by Main St Audio Labs.
Where to Put It
1. In front of your amp (the default)
Put TS '82 first on the guitar track, before your amp simulator (or before the amp you re-amp through). The input is calibrated like our amps, to the voltage of a real guitar, so the clipping reacts to your picking like the pedal.
- Overdrive on its own: DRIVE from the middle up, LEVEL to taste, with a clean or slightly crunchy amp.
- Boost into a dirty amp: DRIVE low, LEVEL up. The classic use: tighter lows, more mids, a singing amp.
2. Stacked with another drive
In front of another overdrive or a fuzz, DRIVE low and LEVEL up tightens and focuses it.
Controls
- DRIVE (0–10): How much it overdrives. The pot has the audio taper of the original, so most of the change happens in the first half.
- TONE (0–10): Darker to brighter. The original pot taper, too: the middle of the dial is where most players live.
- LEVEL (0–10): The output level.
- The footswitch: Turns the effect on and off. Off, the signal goes through the pedal's original buffered bypass (the transistor buffers stay in the path, as in the real one). The ring around it lights up when it's on.
- POWER ON: Turns the whole plugin off. The signal passes untouched and the plugin uses 0% CPU. It's different from the footswitch: the footswitch is the pedal's bypass, POWER switches the plugin off.
Double-click a knob to return it to its default.
The Bottom Panel
- INPUT (−24 to +24 dB): How hard the signal hits the pedal. Below its meter, the peak voltage reaching the pedal (V pk).
- OUTPUT (−36 to +24 dB): The final level. Below its meter, the output level in dBFS.
- INFO: What the controls do, the version, the website and the tip jar.
- OVERSAMPLING (1×, 2×, 4×): Reduces aliasing when the pedal clips. 4× is the default, because high gain on high notes needs it; 1× and 2× use a quarter and half of the CPU. 2× and 4× add 3 and 4 samples of latency, reported to your DAW. Oversampling counts from 48 kHz: at 96 kHz each setting runs one step lower and costs the same.
You can resize the window from its corner; it keeps its size with your project.
Silence costs nothing. After a moment of digital silence on the track (gaps between regions, a stopped transport) the pedal rests and the CPU drops to almost zero. The first note wakes it up instantly, right where it left off.
Setting INPUT
The pedal responds to the actual voltage at its input jack, like our amps. 0 dBFS corresponds to 4.62 V peak at the jack (a Focusrite Scarlett 3rd gen at minimum gain, INST input). Strum hard and adjust INPUT until the reading under the input meter lands in the range of your pickups:
| Pickup type | Normal playing | Hard strum |
|---|---|---|
| Vintage single coil (Strat, Tele) | 0.05 – 0.10 V | 0.3 – 0.5 V |
| Hot single coil, P-90 | 0.10 – 0.20 V | 0.5 – 0.8 V |
| Humbucker (PAF style) | 0.10 – 0.25 V | 0.6 – 1.0 V |
| Hot humbucker | 0.20 – 0.40 V | 1.0 – 1.5 V |
| Active pickups | 0.30 – 0.60 V | 1.5 – 2.5 V |
That matters for an overdrive: the clipping depends on how hard you hit it, just like the real pedal.
Info
Click INFO to open the info panel: what each control does, the version, the website and the tip jar. Click BACK, or anywhere outside the card, to close it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it a TS808?
No: it's the TS9 of 1982, as it was. The two are close; the TS9's output stage is a little brighter.
Why does it have so much mids and so little bass?
That's the circuit: a high-pass at 720 Hz inside the clipping stage leaves the lows clean and pushes the mids. It's what makes it cut through a mix and tighten a dirty amp.
Why is it mono?
Like a pedal, it is mono. A stereo input is summed to mono, and both outputs carry the same signal.
Is it really free?
Yes. No key, no time limit, nothing locked. The tip jar is there if you want to support the lab.
Credits & Trademarks
- An original model of the circuit by Main St Audio Labs, built with Wave Digital Filters.
- Wave Digital Filters (WDF):
chowdsp_wdflibrary by Jatin Chowdhury (BSD-3 License). - Op-amp and diode models after Paiva, D'Angelo, Pakarinen and Välimäki (IEEE TCAS-II, 2012).
- Typefaces: Barlow Condensed, IBM Plex Mono and Montserrat (SIL Open Font License 1.1).
- Developed with the JUCE framework.
All product names, trademarks, and registered trademarks mentioned (including Ibanez, Tube Screamer, JRC, Toshiba and Focusrite) are property of their respective owners and are referenced solely for historical context and descriptive identification of the modeled analog equipment. Main St Audio Labs is an independent developer and has no affiliation, endorsement, or commercial sponsorship from these companies.
If you record something with TS '82, we want to hear it. Copy our email to send us the link:
mainstaudiolabs@gmail.com
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